The Crovan dynasty, from the late 11th century to the mid 13th century, was the ruling family of an insular kingdom known variously in

secondary sources In scholarship, a secondary sourcePrimary, secondary and tertiary sources
. ...

as the Kingdom of Mann, the

Kingdom of the Isles The Kingdom of the Isles, also known as Sodor, was a Norse–Gaelic kingdom comprising the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries. The islands were known in Old Norse as the , or "Southern I ...

, and the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. The

eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

founder of the dynasty was

Godred Crovan Godred Crovan (died 1095), known in Gaelic as Gofraid Crobán, Gofraid Meránach, and Gofraid Méránach, was a Norse-Gaelic ruler of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Dublin, Dublin and the Kingdom of the Isles, Isles. Although his precise parentage h ...

, who appeared from obscurity in the late 11th century, before his takeover of the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

and

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. The dynasty was of Gaelic-Scandinavian origin, descending from a branch of the

Uí Ímair The Uí Ímair (; meaning ‘''scions of Ivar’''), also known as the Ivar dynasty or Ivarids, was a Norse-Gael dynasty which ruled much of the Irish Sea region, the Kingdom of Dublin, the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides and ...

, a dominant kindred in the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

region which first appears on record in the late 9th century. Leading members of the Crovan dynasty formed marriage-alliances with the Irish and Norwegian kings, as well as Hebridean, Gallovidian, and Anglo-Norman lords, and possibly

Welsh princes Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

as well. Surrounded by sometimes threatening English, Norwegian and Scottish monarchs, and various warlords from the western seaboard of Scotland, the leading members of the dynasty at times tactfully recognised the overlordship of certain kings of Norway and England, and even the

Papacy The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. The military might of the dynasty were their fleets of

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s, and their forces battled in Ireland, the Hebrides, Wales, and the Isle of Man. The importance of the galley to the sea-Kings of the Crovan dynasty is illustrated in its implementation upon

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

s that certain members are known to have used. Alex Woolf believes the Clann Somhairle can be regarded as a female line

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the Crovan dynasty. Alex Woolf
The origins and ancestry of Somerled: Gofraid mac Fergusa and 'The Annals of the Four Masters'
''Medieval Scandinavia 15'' (2005) After

Somerled Somerled (died 1164), known in Middle Irish as Somairle, Somhairle, and Somhairlidh, and in Old Norse as Sumarliði , was a mid-12th-century Norse-Gaelic lord who, through marital alliance and military conquest, rose in prominence to create the ...

's coup, the Crovan dynasty were temporarily deposed from all except the Isle of Man, and Dublin. On Somerled's death, they were allowed to inherit part of the realm : Lewis, Harris, and

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...

Dynasts

, died 1095 * Logmann, d. 1103, son of Godfred *

Olaf Olaf or Olav (, , or differences between General American and Received Pronunciation, British ; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ances ...

, d. 1153, son of Godfred * Godred, d. 1187, son of Olaf, who lost most of the Kingdom to Somerled's family * Reginald, 1164, son of Olaf, half-brother of Godred, he and successors ruled only in Northern Isles *Godred, restored * Reginald, d. 1229, son of Godred *

Olaf the Black Óláfr Guðrøðarson (died 1237) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Amhlaibh Dubh''), also known as Olaf the Black, was a thirteenth-century King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty. He was a son of Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of the Isles and F ...

, s. 1237, son of Godred, half-brother of Reginald * Godred, d. 1231, son of Reginald * Harald, d. 1248, son of Olaf * Reginald, d. 1249, son of Olaf * Harald, 1249, son of Godred *

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

, died 1265, son of Olaf In Magnus's lifetime, Ewan MacDougall, a descendant of Somerled, was appointed king of the Hebrides by Haakon, the Norwegian king. Magnus remained titular king of Man. In the year after Magnus died, in 1266, the

Treaty of Perth The Treaty of Perth, signed 2 July 1266, ended military conflict between Magnus the Lawmender of Norway and Alexander III of Scotland over possession of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. The Hebrides and the Isle of Man had become Norwegian t ...

was signed, transferring overlordship of the Isles and Man to the Scottish king.

References

;Bibliography *. *. {{Scandinavian Scotland, state=autocollapse Monarchs of the Isle of Man Scandinavian Scotland Norse-Gaelic monarchs 11th-century establishments in Scotland 12th century in Scotland 13th century in Scotland 13th-century disestablishments in Scotland